Every Sewist Has a "Needle Story"'

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(Photo courtesy ABC News)

Needles were found in sandwiches on four different Delta flights originating in Amsterdam on Sunday, July 15, 2012. 

 

Every one I know today is discussing how the needle (s) could have ended up in the turkey sandwiches. Reasonable deduction suggests it is a low level terrorist sub plot and I do not in any way want to minimize how serious this could have been, but it has prompted needle stories among those of us who use needles. Here is mine. 

 

Some time ago, in a city far away, in my twenties, I would frequently sit in bed in the evening and work on embroidery projects. Like all people who do things with needles, I dropped one, into pink shag carpet. Remember I said a long time ago so don't get all eeewww about the pink shag carpet. Anyway, I couldn't find it. Eventually I gave up and went on with my life. 

 

Then, several months later while walking in that room, on that pink shag carpet, I felt a pinch. Quite frankly I thought I had been stung by a bee or something because the house was 100 years old and the gaps in the window sashing were obvious. It was spring and the insects were active. Time passed, pregnancy and birth of first son occurred. It was a difficult birth, but there was a sale about 6 city blocks away at the Kwik Sew Store. I bundled up the kid and started walking, slowly, he was about two weeks old.

 

 It was Omaha, Nebraska and 90+ degrees. But remember, it was a sale! On the way my right foot started to pinch, something was snagging on my shoe. I sat down on the curb, removed the shoe, and guess what that needle had been in my foot all that time and had worked its way out. It was still straight but a little rusty. I pulled it the rest of the way out, stuffed a little piece of tissue over the bleeding hole and continued to the mall, remember there was a sale!   

 

 All ended well, no infection or tetanus (something of a miracle) and I picked up some fabric and a couple patterns. But the moral of this story is when you drop a needle, you need to find it. Use a magnet or something. And from this day forward know that all of your sandwiches will be scanned by TSA for metal.

Gratuity Moment: I didn't loose a limb.